Extravagance: Reckless dash into the league of excess

Not since the 1930s have luxury cars been so extravagant but is the bubble about to burst, asks Ray Hutton and Tom Robbins

The economy may be stagnating, house prices may be uncertain, but for some reason the motor business is moving into a phase of glorious excess.

On British forecourts new car prices are falling to record lows as manufacturers fight for business, yet at the other end of the market, makers are stuck in a very different battle: to produce the most lavish, opulent and powerful cars ever.

For little obvious reason, car makers have decided that 2003 is the year for super-luxury cars. Early in the year we witnessed the launch of BMW’s new Rolls-Royce and the Maybach from Mercedes-Benz — both above the £250,000 benchmark. Meanwhile, Bentley has been reinvented by Volkswagen with the £110,000 Continental GT coupé, and there is a new saloon to follow.

But some observers are worried that the glorious excess has a darker side. The last time there was a selection of such opulent limousines